Garment press



April 25, 1933- F.:,W. LINDEMANN 1,906,071

GARMENT PRES 5 Filed Nov. 9, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 litornqya Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK \V. LINDEIJIANN, OF STQPAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNIPRESS COMPANY, INCOBIEOBATED, OF MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA GARMENT Panes Application filed November 9, 1928. Serial No. 318,170.

This invention relates to improvements in laundry presses, and particularly to an imrovement in that type of'press shown in Patent- Number 1,562,837, issued to the inventor herein.

The characteristic feature of the garment press shown in the patent above mentioned is the use of a flywheel which is given an initial rotative motion as a result of advancing the presser head, which flywheel thereafter eXpends its kinetic energy to complete forward movement of the presser head and complete the pressing operation. In the patent above mentioned means was provided connecting the flywheel with the frame bf the machine, to assist this operation and to lock "the flywheel in that position which corresponds to the fully lowered or pressing position of the head. lVith the construction just described there was no compensationfor difterencein thickness of goods to be pressed, and there was no way of beingsure that the pressure would be equal and positive whatever the thickness of the goods.

The present device provides means whereby after the head engages the goods, the parts of the machine assume a relation by which the head is advanced in a manner to obtain proper pressure for all thicknesses of the goods, and whereby the pressure reaction gradually reduces the momentum of the flywheel and eventually stops its rotation. Means is also provided to secure the flywheel against counter-rotation after its momentum has been gradually reduced and it has come to rest.

Included in the construction is means gravity-operable to rotate the flywheel in a. direction to raise the head, and additional brake means is provided to stop this counter rotation when the head has reached its fully retracted position. Means is also provided for pneumatically releasing that brake which prevents counter-rotationof the fly- Wheel when the head is in pressing position, said gravity operable means acting as soon as the brake is released, to cause counter-rotation of the flywheel toretract the head. 1 I

' Features of the invention include the broad aspects, as well as all the details of construction.

Features and advantages of the invention will appear in'the description of the drawings forming a part of this application and in said drawings:

Figure l is a vertical section partly in elevation showing the mechanism in pressing position; v

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the mechanism in fully retracted non-pressing position;

Figure 3 is a detail vertical section on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a rear elevation; V

Figure 5 is a top plan partly in section illustrating one of the brake mechanisms;

Figure 6 is a view showing the flywheel brake mechanism in non-braking position;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the mechanism in braking position;

Figure 8 is a side elevation partly in section illustrating the means for operating the brake; and

Figure 9 illustrates a simplified construction.

"The frame of the machine is generally indicated at 1 and is partly composed of two end sections each having an upward extension 2 at the rear. Pivoted upon a cross shaft 5 which is supported by the extensions 2, is a presser arm 6 having a presser head 7 engageable with the pad 8 of the buck 9 supported upon pedestal 10 in turn supported by the frame. The table is indicated at The rear portion of the presser head provides arms 20, see Figures 3, t and 5, and between these arms is journaled upon a horizontally arranged shaft 21 a flywheel structure comprising two flywheel sections 22, spaced apart and each keyed as at 23 to the shaft 21. The shaft 21 is held in bearings 25 of the extensions of the presser arm 6.

Means is providedto rock the arm 6, and to impart a rotative motion to the flywheel, in a manner to be described; This means is attached to the shaft 21. For this purpose theshaft' is reduced at 26, and rotatably disposed on the reduced portion is a plate 27 which also acts as a cover for the recess in which the bearing 25 is disposed, and as means to prevent endwise motion of the shaft 21. A nut 28 secures the plate 27 in operative position. Both ends of the shaft 21 are provided with this cap plate structure. On one side, however, one end of a piston rod 30 is in threaded engagement with the plate 27, this piston rod (piston not shown) entering a cylinder 31, see Figure 4, which cylinder is pivoted as at 35 on a cross bar 36 supported horizontally in the frame 1. Although not herein shown, suit able connections are supplied for forcing fluid into the cylinder 31 to operate against the piston to give the arnr an initial movement in pressing direction, in this instance upwardly. This movement results in giving the flywheel an initial motion in a manner now to be described. Any means may be employed for giving the wheel this initial motion. For example, the operator may grasp the head 7 and pull downwardly.

Pivoted at its lower end upon the cross shaft 36 is a link or frame 40 which extends upwardly as shown, and when the head is in pressing position, see Figure 1, is disposed to fall by gravity from that position. In this instance, the element will fall in a rearward direction away from the buck and head, but there is no intention to be limited to the direction of its movement. The link 40 is disposed rearwardly of the pivot rod 5 which secures the arm 6 to the frame, and its pivot 36 lies substantially vertically below the pivot 5 of the arm 6. The element 40 is provided with a guide in the form of a slot generally indicated at 50.

Although the element 40 may have a single slot 50, as a matter of fact the arm is herein composed of two spaced elements, see Figures 3 and 4, each of which is provided with a guide slot 50. Each guide slot has angularly related guide portions respectively a straight guide portion 51, and a curved guide portion 52, curved on an arc the center of which lies at a point B. This point is eccentric to the axis 36 in a direction rearwardly thereof, and of the buck. This center of curvature also lies rearwardly of a vertical line passing through the pivot 5 of the arm 6. The slots are horizontally aligned. The shaft 21 traverses these slots and has thereon, in this instance, two ball bearings one for each slot and each composed of an inner element 53 and an outer collar element 54, the outer surface of which engages and is slidably guided in slot 50.

Between these slot-guided hearings, and keyed to the shaft 21, see Figure 3, is a gear wheel in mesh with a rack having angularly related portions 51 and 52 respectively corresponding in position and contour to the angularly related portions 51 and 52 of the guide slots. This rack is arranged between and connects the spaced elements 11 of the arm or lever 40. Pins 56 secure the arms and rack. The rack is arranged only on one side of the slot, on that side farthest from the pivot 5. The elements 54 cooperating with the slots 50 maintain the gear 60 in mesh with the rack 61.

By an inspection of Figures 1 and 3 it will be seen that a slidably guided connection between the shaft 21 and the link 40 is obtained, and it will be further seen that this slidably guided connection maintains the gear and rack connection so that the flywheel can move the element 40, and be moved by it. The element 22 is therefore rotatably supported upon a shaft, which in turn is supported by the arm 6, and a positive driving connection is provided between the flywheel element 22 and the weighted link 10. When the link 40 is moved in either direction, rotative movement is imparted to the flywheel 22. When fluid is introduced behind the piston in the cylinder 81, see Figure 2, the arm will be rocked to pressing position and rotation will be imparted to the flywheel 22, and the flywheel because of its gear connection with the rack portions 51 52" will ride upwardly from the position shown in Figure 2 moving the link 40 in the direction of the arrow C. The connection is such that the gear climbs the rack 61, and the element 40 is entrained.

An additional and important feature of this invention is the eccentric relation of the rack portion 52 and corresponding portion of the guide slot 52, to the pivoted point of the element 40 and to the arm 6 and head and bucks 7 and 8, by which the gear 60 arrives at the outer portion of the rack portion 52" just before or just as the presser head engages the goods. Due to the angular relation of the rack to the pivotal points 36-5 and to the head and buck 7 and 8, the gear after reaching the point 65 cooperates with the rack 52 in a manner to gradually increase the pressure and to permit and obtain a uniform pressure until the momentum of the element 22 is dissipated as the result of sufficiently increased pressure.

Thus the rotation of the flywheel entrains the swingable link 40 through its gear connection with the flywheel, the entraining action continuing after the head has engaged or nearly engaged the goods to be pressed, with the gear riding upon the eccentrically related arcuate portion of the rack. The speed of travel of the presser arm is reduced, and the positive pressing action is always continued in a manner to properly complete the pressing operation, whatever the thickness of the goods.

'Another feature of the invention is a brake mechanism operative to prevent counter-rotation of the flywheel 22 during motion towards, and after the presser head has reached its forward limit, or in other words after the presser has reached the pressing'limit for a piece of goods having a given thickness. The device maybe considered to be a uni-directional self-energizing toggle brake. The brake mechanism is mounted upon a sleeve 70, see Figures 5, 6 and 7, carried by the'pivot shaft 5 .of the arm 6. The brake is composed in this instance of two lever-like elements 71 each slotted as at 72 and'slidably and swingably fitted over the sleeve as best shown in Figure 7. At the opposite end of each arm is pivoted as at 73, a brake shoe74, which engages the periphery of one of theelements 75 of theflywheel 22. It is conceivable that only one arm 71- may be used. Thearms 71 are connected for movement in unison by cross-shafts 7677. Upon. the shaft 77 is arranged a 'wear sleeve 78 against which cams .80 carried by the sleeve 70 engage. The shape of the cams is best shown in Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 shows the release position of the cam and Figure 7 the normal position, in which the shoe is engaged with the. periphery of an element 75. See Fi ures 1 and 8. Referring to Figures 6 and F, the arm 71 lies above a line D passing through the center of rotation of the flywheel, and axis of swing of theelement 5 about which the arms 71 swing. The arrow E, .in Figures 2 and 7, shows the direction of rotation of the flywheel corresponding to an advancing motion of the presser head, while the dotted line arrow Frepresentsthe direction of counter-rotation which the flywheel 22 tends to take after the head has reached its pressure limit against the buck, or goods. It will be seen, however, that with the brake in the position shown in Figure 7 this counter-rotation cannot take place because the pivotal point 73 lies above the line D, and any counter-rotation in the direction of the arrow. F thus results in a wedging action which increases the braking pressure. A spring 82 yieldably maintains the arm 72 against stops 83, one for each arm. 7

The brake is released by bringing the cam to the position shown in Figure 6, which is accomplished by rotating the sleeve 70, in this instance in clockwise direction, by means of an arm 85 pivoted as at 86 to a piston 87 having a head, not shown, in the cylinder 88. The cylinder is pivoted at its lower end upon the shaft 36, see Figures 4 and 8. The air intake pipe for the cylinder is indicated at 90, see Figure 8. The spring 82 acts to translate the arms in direction of the shaft 5 and sleeve 70.

When compressed air enters the cylinder 88, the ,arm 85 is moved in clockwise direction which resultsin moving the cam to the position shown in Figure 6, the spring 82 acting to withdraw the arms 71 and shoes connected therewith, to the positionshown in Figure -6. The result. of releasing the brake.74= is that the Weighted element 40 acting through the gear 60 rotates the flywheel 22 in clockwise direction, or in the direction shown by the arrow F of Figure 7 The final result is the retraction of the head to the position shown in Figure 2. During this retracting operation the wheel 22 has been. given momentum, and an auxiliary V brake means is provided for stopping the wheel when the head reaches the position shown in Figure 2. This brake means as a shoe, is shownat 95. as at 96 upon the weight link 40. When the gear has traveled downwardly on the rack 61 a certain distance the periphery of the flywheel 22 engages the shoe and the fly- Wheelis brought to rest.

The element 40 thus acts both as a power generator for furnishing force to retract the head, and as a means for applying pressure to the head in a manner to compensate for varying thicknesses of the articles being pressedi'and to assure theproper application of the pressure to the end of the pressing operation. It will, of course, be understood that the lengthof the rack .52 and its relation to the. pivotal point 36 and head and buck 7: and 8,is such that the compensating wedging action has a range corresponding to the maximum and minimum thicknesses of the. goods to be pressed, so that under all conditions proper pressure is obtained, and sothat this pressure is automatically varied conformably to the conditions at thepressing pressure is assured.

In the form of the device shown inFigure 9, the pressure head 6 has a rotatable bearing 100 connected with a link 101 in a man'- ner to cause the arm to move when the link is 'moved. The element 100 slides in the slot 102, the slot having portions 103-10 respectively corresponding to the angularly related portions 51- 52 of the guide slot 50 previously described. The action obtained by the portion 104 is exactly the same as is point, and thus proper obtained by thecorresponding portion 52 of the previously described form of the invention, that is, slower movement of the head is obtained after contact with the goods and the pressure is gradually applied, and will always be. properly supplied-and applied throughout the pressing operation, whatever the thickness of the goods may be. The element 101 also acts by gravity to raise the pressure head. The power is applied for operating the link to close the head by any sultable means, such as a cylinder 105 corresponding generally to the means 31 of the. previously described form.

There is no intention. herein, however, to be limited to the particular kind of connec- The shoe is pivoted tion between the presser headarm 6 and the link 40, or between arm 6 and link 101, because one of the main features of the present invention is a connection such that the link or its equivalent when moved respectively in opposite directions will correspondingly move the arm 6, or be moved by it. The wedging action obtained by the arrangement of the portions 52, 104 of the slots relative to the pivotal points of the arm 6 with the frame and of the link there'- with, as well as its relation to the presser head and buck is a feature in itself regardless of the manner in which the connection is made. For example, a simple connection such as is supplied by one of the bearings 100 directly with the arm accomplishes the same result, see Figure 9. The link 101 of the figure just referred to acts substantially in the manner of the link 40, to the extent that it connects with the arm 6 in a manner to obtain a graded pressure of the head with reference to the buck.

It will further be understood that the shape of the guide slot need not necessarily be that shown in either described form of the invention, but may be a cam surface either straight and elongated, 0r continuously curved but in different degrees at different portions. Thus it may be curved so that the pressure is gradually applied, and it may be arranged so that the head moves rapidly during the portion of its advance movement and less rapidly after engagement with the goods.

Separately and in combination, are included in the invention, the following features: the connection of a link with a rockable presser head arm in a manner to cause the arm to move when the link is moved; the placing of the link to act by gravity to retract the presser head arm; a connection between the link and the presser head arm including a cam surface so related to the pivotal points of the arm, link and to the buck,

that at first a rapid motion of the arm toward pressing position is obtained, and then a slower movement after contact with the goods; the provision of a guide on the link and the connecting of the presser head arm with the guide in a manner to be moved when the link is moved; to provide a positive sliding connection between the presser head arm and the link such that when the link is swung the presser head arm is either raised or lowered, and when lowered the pressure is gradually applied; the use of a flywheel with gearing connecting the flywheel with the link in a manner to positively rotate the flywheel and swing the link when the presser arm is rocked towards pressing position; to provide such a geared connection between the presser head arm and the link that upon movement of the rack to- Wards the head the head is advanced and brought to pressing position; and a geared connection between thepresser head arm and the link to cause the flywheel to rotate and the link to swing when the presser head arm is rocked.

I claim as my invention:

1. A frame, a buck, a rockable presser head arm pivoted to the frame and having a head engageable with the buck, a link swingingly pivoted to the frame, a flywheel rotatable upon the presser head arm, connections between the flywheel and the link to cause the flywheel to rotate and the link to swing when the presser head arm is rocked, the link being weighted and ar- 0 ranged to act by gravity to rotate the wheel and cause a retraction of the presser head.

2. A garment press comprising a lever having a pressing head, a flywheel mounted on the lever, means connected with the flywheel and with the press whereby when the flywheel is set in motion by initial movement of the head the flywheel thereafter expends its kinetic energy to assist in completing the movement of said head, and brake means adapted to prevent counter-rotation of the flywheel during or after completion of its forward motion, and including toggle members including a pivot securing the members together and a pivot by which one of the members swings on the press, one of the members having a shoe engageable with the flywheel, and the pivotal points being arranged so that the pivotal points which connect the toggle members normally lies at one side of a line drawn through the pivotal points of the flywheel and the securing pivot of the toggle members and beyond that line in direction of rotation of said flywheel when moving to close the pressing head.

3. A garment press comprising a lever having a pressing head, a flywheel mounted on the lever, means connected with the fivwheel and with the press whereby when the flywheel is set in motion by initial movement of the head the flywheel thereafter e2 pends its kinetic energy to assist in completing the movement of said head, and brake means adapted to prevent counter-rotation of the flywheel during or after completion of its forward motion, said mechanism being pivoted to a portion of the frame of the press and being composed of toggle members one of which has a shoe engageable with the flywheel, the toggle members includin a pivot securing the members together and a pivot by which one of the members swings on the press, the pivotal point which connects the toggle members normally lying at one side of a line drawn through the pivotal points of the flywheel and the securing pivot of the toggle members and beyond that line in direction of rotation of said flywheel when moving to close the pressing head.

4. A frame, a buck, a rockable presser the buck, an element rotatably journaled upon the arm, a link pivoted to the frame and having means guidingly cooperating with the rotatably journaled element, said guide means having a slot eccentric to the link pivot and so related to the arm pivot as to exert a gradually increasing force on the arm during the last part of its motion to final pressing position, and having a slot portion angularly related to the first mentioned slot portion, said means and said guide means positively connecting said arm and said link for movement in unison.

6. A frame, a buck, a rockable presser head arm pivoted to the frame and having a head engageable with the buck, a link swingingly pivoted to the frame, a flywheel rotatable upon the presser head arm and having a spur gear, said link having a gear rack having angularly related portions one eccentric to the pivotal point of the link and so arranged as to perform a wedging action substantially as the head engages goods on the buck by which the pressure is gradually increased, and flywheel momentum is reduced to zero.

7 A press having a frame having a buck, a pivoted arm having a head at one side of its ivot which is engageable with the buck, a ywheel journaled upon the arm at the opposite side of the pivot and having a spur gear rotatable therewith, a link pivoted to the frame and having'a rack in mesh with the gear, said rack havinga curved portion with which the gear meshes, said curved portion being eccentric to the link pivot and being so related to the arm pivot as to exert a gradually increasing force on the arm during the last part of its motion to final pressing position, and said rack having a portion angularly related to the curved portion in a manner to permit full retracting motion of the arm, means for holding the gear in mesh with the rack, brake means adapted to secure the flywheel against counter-rotation at the end of the pressing operation, and means for releasing said brake.

8. In a pressing machine having a frame, a buck, a rockable presser head arm pivoted to the frame and having ahead engageable with the buck, a link swingingly pivoted to the frame, a flywheel rotatable upon the presser head arm, and geared connections between the flywheel and the link to cause the flywheel to rotate, and the link to swing when the presser head arm is rocked.

9. A pressing machine having a frame and a pivoted presser head arm, a link swingingly pivoted to the frame and having a slot having angularly related portions one eccentric to the pivotal point of the link, and arranged so as to perform a wedging action as the presser arm moves to pressing position to gradually increase the pressure, and means carried by the arm and projecting into and guidingly associated with the slot to positively connect arm and link for bi-directional motions in unison.

In wltness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of October, 1928.

FREDERICK W. LINDEMANN. 

